Jaguar/Land Rover group is on a roll, not only are they producing stunning vehicles like the F-Type sports car and the new Range Rovers; they’re also busy bringing us specialty vehicles like the F-Type Project 7 and the Range Rover Sport SVR.
The latest vehicle to come out of their workshop (Special Operations) is the Lightweight E-Type, yes that E-Type. The E-Type that is considered the most (or one of the most) beautiful cars ever produced. During the E-Type production from 1961 to 1975, 72,000 E-Types were produced and 12 Lightweight versions. The original plan was to build 18 of these special cars, and now some 50 years later, Jaguar is building the remaining 6 Lightweight E-Types.
The original Lightweight E-Type was based on the standard E-Type roadster, which was upgraded and was 205 pounds lighter than the standard car thanks to the use of aluminum on the body panels. The new car is produced using the same materials and techniques available in the 1960’s.
The Lightweight E-Type is powered by a 3.8 liter inline-6 engine, with triple cars and optional mechanical fuel-injection. The engine produces 300 horsepowr and 280 pound-feet of torque, sent to the rear wheels via a 4-speed manual transmission. The engine in this car is the same as in the original, which was the engine from the Le Mans winning D-Type. But instead of the iron block of the original, Jaguar opted for an aluminum block in the re-issued Lightweight E-Type.
